or LIMBOURG, a former province of the Netherlands, now belonging partly to Holland and partly to Belgium; bounded N. by Gelderland, E. by Rhenish Prussia, S. by the province of Liege, W. by those of South Brabant and Antwerp, and N.W. by that of North Brabant; and lying between N. Lat. 50° 42' and 51° 47', and E. Long. 4° 57' and 6° 17'. To Holland belong all those parts of the province E. of the Maese, with the town of Maestricht; and all N. of a line drawn north-westwards from that river near Stephenswerd to a point near Hamont; the rest, or south-western portion of the province, belongs to Belgium. The area of the whole amounts to 1784 square miles, of which 932 are contained in Belgian Limburg, and 852 in Dutch Limburg. The physical aspect and products of both portions are very similar. The surface is flat, and in the N. occupied by an extensive marsh called the Peel; while on the Belgian side a considerable tract is covered with moor and sandy plains. The River Mase traverses the province throughout its entire length, and receives several tributaries, the chief being the Roer, which joins it at Roermond, in the Dutch portion. Along the banks of that river the soil is well adapted to agricultural purposes, and produces grain of various kinds, flax, hemp, tobacco, rape seed, madder, and fruits. Extensive and well-stocked pasturages occupy the western parts of both Belgian and Dutch Limburg, but especially the former, where horse breeding and the tending of bees are carried on to some extent; while, among the Hollanders, pig rearing and the dairy receive more attention. In minerals the province is deficient. Some lime quarries are worked in the S., where also iron, calamine, and lead exist to a small extent; while coal, potters' earth, and building stone are found in the N. The manufactures are more important, and are about equally numerous in both parts. Among the Belgians the principal articles of manufacture are beet-root sugar, salt, tobacco, soap, and straw hats; besides which, the Dutch manufacture cotton, paper, glass, and gin. The following shows the area, arable acreage, and population of the province:

| Province | Area | Arable acreage | Pop. 1850 | Pop. 1855 | |---------------|--------|----------------|-----------|-----------| | Belgian Limburg | 596,272 | 243,442 | 183,198 | 193,550 | | Dutch Limburg | 545,006 | 322,259 | 205,261 | 210,831 | | Total | 1,141,278 | 565,701 | 388,459 | 404,381 |

The history of this province is intimately connected with the foreign and civil wars of the Low Countries. It was a duchy, and formed one of the United Provinces under the rule of Charles V. of Spain. It was ceded to France by the Batavian republic in 1795, but afterwards was restored to the Netherlands. After the revolution of 1830, however, it was, according to the treaty of 1839, divided between Holland and Belgium; the former giving to its portion the title of Duchy. The capital of Dutch Limburg is Maastricht, with 27,000 inhabitants; and of Belgian Limburg, Hasselt, with a population of 10,000.